Here is a fun fact: If you turn 21 this year, you were only one year old when we became a city.

How we have changed in these 20 years. The first years of Sandy Springs’ existence were spent “taking care of business.” This included setting up a city of 88,000, fixing and repairing basic utilities that had been neglected for years, standing up a top-notch police and fire department, and deciding who and what we wanted to be when we grew up.

For the past 10 years or so, we have created a city center and put community amenities into place for the citizens, including city hall, the PAC, and the green just outside. Fun events like parades and festivals have also defined these recent years.

Now, as we turn 20 years of age comes the future. How do we:

■ best manage but encourage smart growth and development;

■ expand the City Springs district;

■ maintain our excellent credit rating;

■ bring businesses and restaurants and citizens to our city, while continuing to make Sandy Springs a wonderful place to live.

In January, the new year starts with the addition of three new council members, each bringing valuable ideas that will be considered over the months and years ahead.

Next year we will also begin our 10-year review of the comprehensive plan adopted in 2017. I pledge to listen to all as we continue to make Sandy Springs a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family.

Pickup order leads to desire to serve

In 2016, I accepted my dream job, packed my daughter and our guinea pig into a U-Haul, and headed toward a new beginning. That journey brought us to a modest two-bedroom apartment in the North End, just within my budget, but with a pool that made it feel like home.

Sometime after settling in, I stopped at a small Chinese restaurant off Roswell Road. While waiting on an order of egg foo young, I picked up a magazine from a stack near the register: the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber 2017 Guidebook. As I flipped through what felt like a civic manual for my new city, something shifted. For at least a year, I understood intellectually that I resided in Sandy Springs. But at that moment, I wanted to live in Sandy Springs.

By the time I reached the page describing Leadership Sandy Springs, I knew I wanted to be involved. A few years later, I was featured as part of the Class of 2020, an experience that launched me into deeper service with organizations such as Sandy Springs Together, the Sandy Springs Education Force, and the Charter Review Commission. Today, I have the honor of serving as a city council representative, a role I hold with immense gratitude and pride.

I share this story because I know many residents have their own version of this journey. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our city, we honor the shared experiences and collective commitment that built Sandy Springs, including a single mom who walked in for egg foo young and walked out inspired to help shape its future.

Twenty Years of Progress — and a Clear Path Forward

When I moved to what is now Sandy Springs in 1999, I couldn’t believe that a community of 85,000 residents didn’t have its own local government. Coming from Pennsylvania, where cities and townships are locally governed, the idea that decisions for our neighborhoods were being made miles away made no sense. I made sure I wasn’t traveling for work that week so I could be home to vote for incorporation.

That vote was transformative. Instead of debating politics, every council since has stayed focused on what matters: solving problems, improving quality of life, and investing in our future. We inherited aging roads, neglected stormwater systems, and outdated zoning. In two decades, we have reversed that trajectory.

We have invested over $365 million in capital projects, $34 million in stormwater improvements, and $92 million through TSPLOST projects. Including the City Springs complex with the City Green and Performing Arts Center, the Police Headquarters and Municipal Court, two new fire stations, and the Fleet Maintenance Facility, our total infrastructure investment now exceeds $700 million—projects that simply would not have happened without incorporation.

With the foundation built, our next chapter is about elevating quality of life: more recreation and parks, reimagining aging commercial areas, expanding housing choices, and completing City Springs Phase II.

Public safety will always remain a top priority. When people feel safe, connected, and proud of where they live, a city thrives.

Sandy Springs is a wonderful place to call home—and we will keep it that way

The city’s future is with the people

For 20 years, Sandy Springs has been a story of a community determined to improve itself, often through sheer will, volunteerism, and a relentless belief in what is possible. When our city incorporated, it was because residents wanted more control over their future. That spirit is still here, and it is what has driven so many of the accomplishments we now take pride in: stronger public safety, improved parks, major infrastructure investments, and the creation of a vibrant civic center at City Springs.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working closely with families, neighborhoods, schools, nonprofits, and countless residents who bring passion to every corner of our city. They are the heartbeat of Sandy Springs. Whether advocating for a new North Springs High School, improving recreational opportunities for our young people, or finding thoughtful ways to revitalize aging areas of our community, I have always believed that our greatest strength comes from engagement, from people rolling up their sleeves and working for something better.

Today, Sandy Springs stands at a crossroads. Our challenges are real, and so are the opportunities ahead. My hope is that we continue focusing on what makes a city thrive: safe streets, strong schools, transparent leadership, housing that supports families, and development that lifts our entire community.

No matter how the political winds shift, I remain grateful for the residents who make Sandy Springs what it is. This city’s future will always belong to the people who care enough to shape it.

Blessed to be part of the success

As I prepare for Thanksgiving with the family, I have to look back at my life in Sandy Springs. It started 38 years ago when I first met Eva Galambos and began working with her to form the city. The first 18 years was a time of lobbying, planning, and preparation. Forming a city was a new venture for both of us.

On day one, it’s like turning on a light switch – everything must be ready to provide for the residents. Fortunately, we had those years to get ideas ready and plans made. And, after that successful vote in July 2005, we were off and running.

These last 20 years that I’ve served on the council have been so rewarding since we all know how the city has blossomed. I tell people that Sandy Springs didn’t turn out as we expected – it turned out better than we could have hoped.

I feel blessed that I could have had a part in the success of Sandy Springs and witness its growth. As I retire and yield my seat to a younger generation of leadership, I am confident that the citizen-first direction of our city will continue. Everything we have planned and done has been to make the lives and futures of our residents better, and we should always continue that path.

Filled with opportunities for the next generation

When Sandy Springs was created 20 years ago, we began less as a naturally cohesive and logically defined city and more as a political and geographic boundary: 35 square miles of unincorporated Fulton County pressed between Atlanta and Roswell.

Our outer neighborhoods identified in very different ways: the south oriented toward Chastain and Buckhead; parts of the northeast/ panhandle gravitated toward Dunwoody; and the north end felt distant and often ignored. We were a collection of communities with shared concerns but lacking a shared identity.

Incorporation gave us the ability to address many governance-related concerns: local zoning decisions, consistent and first-rate public safety, thoughtful infrastructure planning and investment, and a more responsive and accountable municipal government that understood our day-to-day realities.

We also built something transformative: a true city center – City Hall, City Green, and the Performing Arts Center – places that didn’t exist before and now serve as the cultural, civic, and symbolic heart of Sandy Springs. And we established highly regarded police and fire departments that remain a deep source of pride and unity across every section of our city.

Two decades in, the challenges before us are more complex than those at our founding. Redevelopment, housing options for every stage of life, a declining schoolage population, the need to attract young families, and a rapidly changing regional landscape that will shape our future far more than the issues we confronted in 2005. And the recent election underscored something important: residents hold widely different views of where we are as a city and what work lies ahead.

The next 10 to 20 years will not be defined by what we built in our first 20, but by how we adapt. That requires widening the circle of engagement and involvement, bringing in younger and more diverse voices, elevating emerging community leaders, and creating more avenues for residents to help define what comes next.

If our first two decades proved anything, it’s that Sandy Springs can take control of its destiny. The task ahead is to grow into an even more connected community, filled with opportunity for every generation and welcoming to all who want to make Sandy Springs their home.

The post Current council members reminisce on 20 years of cityhood appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

There have been several commentaries recently in the Reporter Newspapers about the council compensation question. After reading these commentaries and hearing from constituents, I am responding with my thoughts.

The topic was the compensation paid to the Sandy Springs City council, specifically the addition of paid benefits, to possibly include health and dental insurance as well as others. Note these benefits are not called for by the charter, which is ratified by the state, but rather left to the council, who could vote to provide themselves these benefits.  In some cases, this could almost double the average councilman compensation (per one councilman’s presented table). The purpose of the discussion was ways for the city council to “remove barriers to service in elected office.” While I applaud the discussion and do not wish to have artificial barriers for folks interested in this part time job, I for one do not believe the current compensation levels are a barrier to folks running for council.

THE MATH: So, let’s look at the facts: the current council salary by law is $18,000/year or $1,500 per month. I estimated how many hours I spend on city activities and business in this current year, and come away with an average of around 8-10 hours a week or around 40 hours a month. Some weeks I spend 2 hours a week, others 10-20. We only have one meeting in July (and this year in September), so those are pretty light months with lower hourly demands. This time tabulation includes time spent on the phone with citizens, staff, and others conducting city business. Simple math determines that this is a wage of around $37.50 an hour.  I am only speaking about myself, not other councilmembers, but would not be surprised to find this time commitment to be about right for others. This was always intended to be a part-time job. A new councilmember might spend more time than this getting up to speed.

So, contrary to the image portrayed as being so poorly compensated that no one would want or could afford to take this job, the reality is this is a part-time job paying an average of $37.50/hour. This is also a job which is essentially guaranteed (once elected) for 4 years. Not CEO wages, but certainly not pauper wages either! 

Our council needs to balance the needs of its citizens with the responsible spending of these same constituents’ money. This weighs on my mind because, unlike private sector businesses where if a citizen does not want to go to the local coffee shop, he just stays away. Not so with taxes, which the citizens are required to pay. So, Council must always try to balance the needs of the community with the cost to that same community.

It you get elected to this council, that will be your responsibility!

Finally, during the council races of almost 8 years ago candidates included men and women, ethnic minorities, some young, some old, all of whom were running for city council. Only a few received enough votes to win. By the way, the council pay at that time was $12,000/year.

So, let’s talk about how to get on the Sandy Springs City Council. 

• A potential candidate must register to run sometime during the third week of August of 2021. Cost to run for council is $540, which is 3% of the annual salary.
• Each district has around 18,000 citizens, many of whom are registered voters. So, a candidate needs to convince these voters they are the best choice for council going forward.
• Then the candidate must get the majority of the vote on November 2.

NOTE:

The existing city council does not decide who wishes to run for office, the candidate does.

The existing city council does not decide who will be the next councilman, the voter does.

Any candidate needs to decide if they wish to attempt to compete for this part-time job and to be a part of their city!

Being on the Sandy Springs City Council has been one of the highlights of my life, and one I take seriously.  Those who know me know I, on more than one occasion, have told constituents that if they do not like how the city is being run to run for office themselves. I stand by that. I only ask that you run in order to serve your city, not for the money,

(PS – At the last meeting the council elected to offer insurance benefits to elected officials, provided they pay the premium. A good compromise.)

The post Commentary: Response to the discussion on Council compensation appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.